Raising the suspension

[BelfastG]

Hello Forum Members
I am a complete novice, I have owned my 2.5 Cougar for about 10 years and it has been in storage the last 3
I am taking it out of storage now for a make-over and am raising it about 2 inches, fitting 17-inch wheels and having custom stripes over it and along the side made by a local company
My question is, how do I raise the suspension, is there a kit available or is it a modification that must be made by me?

 

[obi_waynne]

2 inches is quite a bit and I doubt there will be a kit around that is suitable. You'll need to adjust the arm. You could fit a custom top mount that spaces everything lower which should keep everything aligned. You'd need also to add the same spacer to the lower arm sections/ rear suspension cross member, but a competent welder might be able to set you up with the brackets you'll need.

The front & rear lower arm will probably need lengthening if using the same mounting point as the oem setup.

As an alternative option you might be able to modify the Knuckle, so it is longer and sits further down the strut and the suspension arms joing above the center line of the wheel but this will affect the camber and toe.

Looking at older Ford models might provide the suspension setup you require. The Maverick has really long springs and shocks although the mounts and design are almost certainly different.

Whatever you do make sure the alignment, camber toe and everything is setup properly.

 

[obi_waynne]

Another suggestion would be to fit an air bag suspension kit, they will probably give you around 3 to 4 inches of height adjustment.